Tignanello
by MinaRivera
Summary: She left him without explanation, now she returns to make things right. Will he give her the chance to explain? Will she be brave enough to face him? This is the story of two families in a feud, which started to end the day a kiss was stolen ten years ago. E/B. Written for Katalina.
1. La Mia Famiglia Tradizionale

**Tignanello by Mina Rivera**

**Written for SU4K - Prompt by Katalina**

**Beta: **Sue273 and HollettLA

**Summary: **She left him without explanation, now she returns to make things right. Will he give her the chance to explain? Will she be brave enough to face him? This is the story of two families in a feud, which started to end the day a kiss was stolen ten years ago.

**********Banner Link: **i849. photobucket albums/ab52/MayumiR/Banners/SU4K. jpg [delete spaces]

**Disclaimer: **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**_~ This story is for Katalina, my mother and I. We are warriors in a world where the war is fought inside ourselves. ~_**

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**TIGNANELLO**

**~ PREFACE ~**

The Antinori Cignolina family is one of the most respected and admired families in the Chianti Classico region. They own several vineyards, each one dedicated to the production of a specific type of wine.

One of their most famous wines comes from a forty-seven hectare vineyard within the Santa Cristina estate named Tenuta Tignanello. Its wine has been made from 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc since 1982, and is to this day the best wine ever produced in Italy.

When the Tignanello wine was first introduced, a dispute about its recipe was started by the Solaia Cullen Winery. This twenty-two hectare vineyard sits adjacent to Tignanello in the Mercatale Val di Pesa zone of Chianti Classico and belongs to the Mansini Cullen family.

Both families have been feuding ever since, but both heads of the families have had enough.

This is the story of how the Cignolina and Mansini families planned to end the feud and unite their vineyards.

And it all started with a stolen kiss...

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**~ CAPITOLO UNO ~**

_**La Mia Famiglia Tradizionale**_

I stood by the truck, waiting for Emmett to bring out the last case. It was barely eleven in the morning, and I was already sweating bullets. The sun had been unrelenting this past couple of weeks, and it worried me a bit, overexposure could damage the grapes.

I had been administering the Solaia Cullen vineyard for five years now, and I loved it. From planting the vines, to taking care of the fields, and then the harvest... every aspect of this land was rich and full of tradition. It was what my family loved and what I grew up loving as well.

My great-grandfather was the first Cullen in the region. He had been a bored English doctor who, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, packed his bags and moved to Florence. He then travelled south and discovered Tuscany, where he married my great-grandmother only two months after meeting her.

My father, Carlisle Cullen, was different though. He didn't want to make wine, so he went to school in London to become a lawyer. But when he came back the summer of his last year of university, he met my mother and fell madly in love with her. Esmeralda Mansini came from a long line of winemakers. She had been travelling from Florence, where she went to school, and bumped into my father on the bus. They talked the entire bus ride, and according to my mother, he was already planning to buy a ring as soon as they stepped off of the bus.

My father never left Tuscany after that summer, and two years later I was born.

"Here it is, the last one," said Emmett, startling me out of my thoughts.

He pushed the crate into the back of the trunk, then slammed down the door, locking it tightly.

"Great, let's hurry. I don't want to be late."

I threw down the cigarette I had been smoking, grinding my heel into the butt as I unlocked the driver's side of the truck and got in.

"Think she will be there?" asked Emmett when we were only a couple of miles away from town.

I shrugged. "I don't think so; Carlo said she was gonna work in a fancy firm in London."

"That sucks, man. Poor Carlo will have to give the vineyard to Marcus once he retires, though everyone knows he wanted his daughter to run it for him."

I chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, well... she always wanted something different and better."

Emmett turned to look at me, no doubt hearing the contempt in my voice.

"Sorry, man, forgot she was a sore subject. Her being the one that got away and all."

"More like the one that _ran_ away," I muttered under my breath.

We didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride. I was lost in my memories of summers past, chocolate brown eyes, and stolen moments when we reached the town.

I shook my head and drove straight for the market.

Decorations were everywhere, the Summer Festival was here and everyone was in a celebratory mood. It was my favorite time of the year; it opened the season for harvest and the tourists poured in, giving the small town businesses the push to keep going every year.

I parked just outside Signora Renata's, one of the most famous restaurants in Tuscany. Their food was known around the world because of their classical homemade dishes with the authentic taste of Tuscan cuisine. It was definitely my favorite restaurant, and it didn't hurt that my aunt owned the place.

"_Topolino!_ So good to see you," Z_ia_ Renata squealed, kissing each of my cheeks twice.

"_Buon giorno, zia._ You remember Emmett, right?"

"_Madonna_, you get bigger every time I see you!"

"_Buon giorno, zia_. The Mansinis feed me well, especially Signora Esme," Emmett chuckled, hugging Zia Renata.

I rolled my eyes. "My mother only cooks the food; you are the one that eats it all."

_Zia_ Renata laughed, pulling back from the hug and coming to cup my face. "You look well, _topolino._ Hopefully, that _puttana schifosa_ won't come here today."

"_Zia_!" I shook my head. "Please, just don't start that again, and stop with the name calling."

"Hush, she deserves more names after what she did to you."

"Maybe, but please... just don't. She was never any of those things and you know it, _zia_."

She huffed, but thankfully dropped the subject.

"We better drop the crates before the wine gets too warm. C'mon, Emmett." I waved him over to the back of the truck. _Zia_ Renata went back to the restaurant, no doubt to prepare something for us to eat. We made quick work of it and set up the crates in the basement, choosing to keep them close to the door for when the time came to take them to the plaza.

After a fantastic plate of my aunt's tortellinis, I drove us back to Solaia, my family's vineyard.

Emmett could tell my thoughts were flying a mile a minute, so he made sure to give me peace and space to think. After my aunt's comments, not to mention the conversation some of the old ladies were having at the market we overheard, I had been on pins and needles, frustrated with the situation.

I never intended for her to be the bad guy, and I might have played the wounded part a bit too long, but I just couldn't get over her. You just didn't spend twelve years of your life in love with someone and then try to move on in the blink of an eye.

She had hurt me, deeply, and the fact she just ran off in the middle of the night like a thief left me bereft. I had to find out she had run off to some guy who was waiting for her across the pond from her father. It had been like ripping my heart out and stabbing me in the back at the same time.  
I had loved her... hell, I still loved her.

Why had I ever thought she was the one for me?

Our families were enemies for all intents and purposes. This stupid feud about the Tignanello's recipe had been going for far too long, and she had agreed with me.

At first I had no idea how she felt about me, growing up surrounded by relatives speaking ill things about _your_ family didn't exactly set a good foundation for love, but she saw through all that; she saw _me_ for who I was. It was one of the reasons she kissed me in the middle of the plaza at the end of the festival all those years ago. I was only thirteen years old, and she just came to me, and out of the blue dragged me to the dance floor and kissed me. I barely had time to react before she was being pulled away by her brother Alec.

Since that kiss, I knew she was gonna be the one I was going to marry.

Unfortunately, she had other plans, and they didn't include me.

**~* T *~**

"_Tesoro_, what are you doing out here all alone?" I heard a heavy Italian-accented voice ask behind me.  
I turned around to see my mother covered in flour up to her elbows.

"Just thinking, Ma. What are you making this late?" I had been sitting on the back porch steps for almost an hour, watching the sun set. It had been a long day, and I just wanted to wind down alone.

She smiled and sat down next to me. "I was making some pasta for tomorrow. It is going to be so busy and I thought I'd make a little today."

"Are you making your pansotti tomorrow?"

"Of course! It is family tradition."

I nodded, my mouth watering at the thought of those huge raviolis covered in that creamy genovese sauce my mom made. It was like ambrosia and she only made them for the festival, which just made me want them more.

"I look forward to it."

My mom giggled and mock slapped my shoulder. "I do not know who is worse with food, you or Emmett. Always wanting to eat my dishes all day."

I laughed and kissed her cheek. "Not my fault you are a master in the kitchen."

That comment made her blush and shake her head at me. "Such a charmer, just like your _papa_."

That brought a sad smile from me.

"I miss him," I murmured, looking down to my shoes.

"I know, _tesoro_. I miss him too. Every day."

It had been five years since my dad passed away. It happened so fast; we never even had the time to prepare ourselves.

My dad had been a very healthy man. He was always up before dawn to run his five miles religiously every day. Mom always made sure he ate right, in spite of his love for red meat. He would also enjoy a small glass of wine from his personal collection every afternoon, but that was pretty much all the alcohol he would consume. He never drank more than one or two glasses a day. So, imagine our surprise when we found out he had stomach cancer. It started with constant indigestion, then moved on to stomachaches, and then to full blown pain, all within the span of a month.

My mother took him to hospital when one day he collapsed from the pain just as he got home. It was an aggressive cancer, one with those fancy names you can never repeat. All of a sudden, my sister Alice and I were getting DNA tests to make sure we didn't have the gene for that type of cancer at the same time my dad had to get his stomach removed.

Luckily, neither Alice nor I had the gene, but my dad... it was too late for him. The doctors had discovered masses in his liver, spleen, and kidneys when they operated him. They gave us no hope for treatment for him. They put him on a morphine drip, and two weeks later I got the call from Mom that he had passed away while I was asleep.

It was a rough year for us, but we pulled through.

Though it seemed fate had it in for me, for not a year had gone by when I lost my best friend.

"He would be so proud of what you have done with Solaia, Ted. You and my little _capretta_ are the best things I have ever done in my life."

I snickered at the nickname my father had given Alice when she was a child. She had been so full of energy, like a wild little goat around the house, earning her the name of _capretta_: little goat.

My mom threw her arm around my shoulders. "I am proud of you. I don't think I tell you enough, _tesoro_."

I shook my head, chuckling. "You tell me every day, Mama."

"Still not enough." She kissed my cheek and went back inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts.  
I looked up to sky and wondered if she was already here, watching the same starry sky at this same moment. I shook my head and gave a resigned sigh, knowing full well that every thought I had would always go back to her.

"Damn you, Isabella. How do I get you outta my head?" I asked the night sky.

Like thousands of times before, I didn't get an answer, and I honestly didn't know if I wanted one.

She had been the reason for me to become a better man, but with each year that passed without her coming back, I knew I had lost her. I didn't know what I had done for her to stop loving me. I had been there for her through everything, but it seemed it wasn't enough in the end. I knew our families' dispute wasn't the reason for her leaving —she never cared about any of that— it must've been something else, something she never told me about, something she had kept to herself.

Or maybe I was reading too much into things, and she just left because she wanted to. It was no secret she didn't want to run her father's business, so maybe she found her chance to escape from all of this and took it.

I guess I would never know unless I asked her, and tomorrow could be my chance to do so.  
That was if she came at all.

I shook my head; I was going in circles and I knew I wasn't going to get any answers tonight on my own. So, with a resigned sigh, I went back inside and up to my room; tomorrow was going to be a hectic day and needed my rest.

I pulled the covers over my body and closed my eyes, and just like every night for the past five years, I dreamed of Isabella.

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_**Thanks for Lisa and Sue for lending her beta services. I wrote this story for Katalina and I hope I did her prompt justice. :)**_

_**Chapter 2 will be up next Tuesday. Happy New Year Everybody! xoxo ~Mina**_


	2. La Figlia Fuggiasco Ritorna

**Disclaimer: **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

**_I have _****_absolutely _**no knowledge about wine making, I did as much research as I could in the small amount of time I had to write this fic, so please be kind and don't flame if I got something wrong. Just know the comments and opinions here aren't my own, but Bella's. Thank you.

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**~ CAPITOLO DUE ~**

**La Figlia Fuggiasco Ritorna**

_"Good afternoon, passengers. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 1:25 p.m., local time. The weather looks good, and with the tailwind on our side, we are expecting to land in Florence approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule..."_

I smacked my forehead and groaned. Of course my flight was ahead of schedule, it was like the universe was conspiring for me to come home!

It had all started two weeks ago.

I had graduated from university with honors in Computer Engineering and was offered a job to work at Ubisoft in London, but the place that I had rented was suddenly infested with moths and the building was closed. They said it was only for a week, until they discovered that there were more in the basement and they needed to rebuild the foundation. I didn't start my job until August, so I was looking at two months without a place to live or a job.

My mistake was telling Jacob, the stupid traitor.

I had met him seven years ago at an exchange-student program, and we had kept in contact ever since. He even became good friends with my parents, but then he tattled to them about the whole job/moving issue, and since I was already on vacation, they asked us to come home for the festival. I didn't want to go, but Jake was very persistent, and after years of promising to visit home and not delivering, I finally gave in.

So there I was, sitting in a business class seat next to my best friend and his significant other.

"That's great news, which means we'll make it for dinner, Bella!"

I glared at Jacob.

"Come on, Bella, don't be like that. This is gonna be fun!"

I sighed and turned back to look out the window.

Jacob just didn't get it. It wasn't that I didn't want to see my family; it was just that I didn't want to come here to do it. Why couldn't they visit me? In all the five years I'd been away, not once had they ever thought about coming to America; it was always about me making the trip to see them, and I just couldn't come home. It was too hard.

This was entirely my fault, really.

Jacob thought that I had a bad breakup and left to study in America to get away from him and that's it.

If he knew the truth... I don't think he would be my best friend right now.

"Leave her alone, Jake, and help me out with this crossword. I'm stuck," said Sammy from the aisle seat.

Jacob huffed and threw his hands in the air. "Fine! I just don't get why she isn't excited about this, and the word you are looking for is _tradition_, babe."

I looked up to the sky with a "are you freaking kidding me?" face.

"And the next one is _vineyard_."

I was fate's bitch, it seemed.

**~* T *~**

I set my bags on the floor and looked around my room. Everything looked exactly the same: from the cream walls to the dark hardwood floor, the iron-framed queen-sized bed and the soft pink comforter. I really thought my mom would have made a change to it, but no, here I was standing in the exact same room I had left in the middle of the night all those years ago.

I dropped my purse on the desk next to my laptop, jumped on the bed, and lay there on top of the covers, looking out the window, not really thinking about anything until my mother called us all for dinner.

The table was filled with an awkward silence, and I tried to defuse the tension without success. Mainly because, one, my parents didn't know what to make of Jacob and Sammy, and two, they could tell that I didn't want to be here, which made them sad, which made me feel like crap.

It was a vicious cycle.

I rubbed my face and let out a long breath, thinking. I needed a plan for tomorrow. My dad wanted me to help Mom decorate the stand for the festival, while Jacob and Sammy toured the vineyards.

To say Jacob was shocked at the size of my family's vineyard was a mild understatement. The Antinori Cignolina was one of the largest vineyards in Europe; it was divided in smaller vineyards, each one dedicated to the production of a specific type of wine. My home was on Pèppoli Estate, one of the smaller vineyards right next to Tignanello.

After dinner, my father gave my friends a small tour, and then we returned back to the kitchen for some dessert. All the while, he described the history of the place and the tradition for the summer festival, which was a way to celebrate the beginning of the harvest. He also explained in much detail the conflict about Tignanello.

"So, wait... this is all about how to mix grape juice?"

I snorted at Jake's comment but tried to hide it behind a cough. I didn't think my dad bought it though, for he gave me a stink-eye and shook his head.

"That was the exact same thing Isabella said when she was six years old and I told her she could not play with the Mansini girl."

"Actually, her last name is Cullen."

This time it was my dad who snorted. "No, the name Cullen is no more than a blip on the radar; the Mansinis are the bigger family with more history in Tuscany right next to our family. They will always be Mansini. Why do you think Esmeralda never dropped her name?"

"But why contest the recipe at all? I'm sure that no vineyard gives the same grapes," said Sammy.

"Because Tignanello is a super tuscan wine and not exactly legal," I answered.

"Hush, child. You don't know what you are talking about," my father reprimanded me.  
I internally rolled my eyes.

My father turned back to Jake and Sammy. "Tignanello _is_ a super tuscan wine; it is of higher quality than your average table wine and therefore falls into a different category in the Italian wine regulation system. It is very complicated to explain, and my English is very limited as is, so all I will say is that by being a super tuscan wine, it is illegal to try copy and reproduce."

Sammy shook his head and looked at me. "But why did you say it wasn't legal?"

I sighed. "Because for all intents and purposes, Tignanello does not meet the requirements of the stricter Italian wine designations. It's in a league of its own. We can make it and sell it, but it doesn't really meet the average designations, making it outside the law."

"That is not it, Isabella, you are twisting my words! You would know it if you had wanted to learn it at all," ranted my father. "Tignanello is a wine to be proud of! Made from the tradition our families have cultivated for centuries, with the hard work and careful planning of the people of Tuscany. It took your grandfather years to produce it, and this is how you speak of it?"

He stood up then, the chair he had been sitting on scraping loudly against the stone floor.

"Papa! It's just wine, for Christ's sake!"

"You don't have any respect for me and this family, Isabella! I was a fool to believe that I would ever leave this to you. I watched the Mansini boy waste away for months because of what you did to him, and I admit my hate for the family thought he wasn't good enough for you, but now Solaia is blooming under his hands, and the last vintage he had in stock was given a _Tre Bicchieri_, putting it in the same category as Tignanello. _You_ were the one who did not deserve _him_! He follows and respects tradition; what have you done? You got that fancy degree to play with computers, while your family here fears losing what we have been working on for centuries! And all because of your selfishness! You are no daughter of mine!"

"Carlo! Please calm down, _amore_," begged my mother from her seat.

"No, Renee, I have had enough of her. You selfish little brat, you are good at leaving, so get out! Now!"

"Papa..."

"I said out! _Fuori! Vattene da qui!_"

I ran up the stairs to my room and slammed the door shut, listening to my mom calling for me. I ignored her and threw myself backward on my bed and covered my face with a pillow.

I cried for a while and then the guilt started to creep in. I had acted like a child downstairs and disrespected my entire family with my comments. I knew this was some sort of defense mechanism I'd had develop since I was sixteen, when life seemed to be planned out for me without my input. I remembered feeling trapped in a world I didn't want to be part of, in spite of being born in the middle of it.

I had hurt so many people, but I just couldn't do it.

I couldn't be the person they wanted me to be.

A persistent knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts, and then I heard Jake calling for me from the other side.

_"Let me in, Bella! C'mon, sweetie. I just wanna talk."_

I didn't want to talk to anybody. After what I'd heard from my own father, the last thing I wanted was to cry in front of an audience, but knowing how persistent Jake was, he would find a way to get in. So, I reluctantly stood up and unlocked the door.

"Hey, there... Can I come in so we can talk?"

I nodded and let him in, locking the door again once he was inside.

I sat down on my bed indian-style and Jake followed, sitting facing me, our knees touching.

"Wanna explain what the whole 'Mansini boy' thing was all about?"

"That's Edward."

Jake nodded, "I figured, but would you like to explain to me why your dad said that you left him?"

I sighed heavily and shook my head.

"Bella, you told me you two broke up."

I bit my lip and shook my head again.

"Okay, explain please…"

I wiped my tears and took a deep breath.

"You don't know this, but I had an older brother; his name was Alec."

"What? Well, where is he?"

I looked down at my hands on my lap. "He died when I was sixteen."

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry."

I waved him off. "Please, Jake, just let me talk, I will answer all the questions you might have afterward, okay?"

He nodded, "Okay."

"Alec was four years older than me. He was so full of life and loved everything about this place. He practically grew up in the vineyards. He loved the harvest the most and often competed with my dad to see who could cut the grapes the fastest. I remember when we were little, we played hide and seek in the cellars. He was a good older brother."

I closed my eyes remembering that awful day like it was yesterday.

"One day I came home from school looking for my mom, but she wasn't here. One of the workers told me she had gone to the visit my grandma, so I went to look for Alec. I found him in the cellar, drinking brandy, something he had never done before. He saw me, and in drunken stupor, he asked me to play hide and seek with him. I tried to take him back to the house so he could eat something, but he wanted to play and I gave in.

"He was so drunk, Jake, I didn't find out until later that he was drunk because he had found out his girlfriend Jane had an abortion and it had been his baby. He was heartbroken, Jake, and I didn't know! I went to hide in a pretty obvious place, but he was pretending like he couldn't see me. He kept calling for me, and then he climbed over the crates and up to the ceiling beams. I begged him to come down, that the game was over, and that we needed to get dinner ready since Mom wasn't home. It took me a while to convince him until he finally agreed. He was coming down, when suddenly he slipped and fell."

I was full out sobbing now; the images in my head were coming back to me, like they did all those years ago. I had never told anyone what seeing Alec falling did to me. I had started to hate this place because I couldn't look anywhere without seeing his dead eyes looking back at me with his head at an odd angle.

Jake pulled me to him and let me cry on his shoulder, stuttering my way through the rest of the story.

About six months after Alec's death, my dad starting asking me to stop by his office after school. He would give me long lectures about family and tradition. I spent weeks listening to him, not understanding why he was talking to me about the business and asking for my input, and that was when it hit me.

Since Alec died, Dad didn't have an heir to leave the vineyard to, only me.

I was the spare.

It all came crashing down after that realization. I had started to miss the meetings with my dad and never came home until I absolutely had to, choosing to stay at a classmate's home instead.

Edward had been so sweet, kind, and so freaking understanding. He kept telling me how I didn't have to worry and that once we were married, he would run the vineyard as a Cignolina, not a Mansini. He was willing to merge the vineyards and work together with my dad for me, but all I heard was how another decision had been made for me.

I started to ignore him, missing dates and just not answering my phone when he called. It was a conversation I overheard weeks later that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I heard his aunt talking to my mom about how Edward had gone to get his grandmother's ring sized for me.

It was like no one cared what I wanted, and all these feelings of resentment I had simply burst out of me.

Jacob had contacted me a few days before and told me I had gotten the scholarship to MIT, my dream school, and I had been vacillating whether to take it or not. But that night I rebelled and told my parents I was leaving for America to study.

I didn't let them convince otherwise, I simply packed, took my bags, and never looked back.

"So, you left him?" asked Jacob once I was done telling him about my past.

I nodded against his shoulder.

"Did he know where you were going and why?"

I shook my head.

"Please tell me at least you said goodbye to the guy..."

I shook my head again, this time the sob was too powerful to contain.

"Jesus Christ, Bella. You probably broke that guy's heart, and you didn't even care!"

I flinched at his furious tone and pulled back from his embrace.

Jacob was looking at me like he didn't recognize me.

"What you did, Bella, was selfish and cruel. Not to mention you took the coward's way out! Instead of facing the problems you had and talking to the guy who was willing to give you the world, you ran away! How could you do that?"

"I was scared! I was scared of being trapped here and not being able to leave!"

"Did he ever say that to you? That you would never be able to go anywhere? Did your father ever deny you your education? Last time I checked, he paid for the apartment you were living for five years, and he even paid for the one in London. No, Bella, there is no excuse for what you did other that you were a spoiled selfish brat who just ran away from her problems because she didn't have the courage to face them!"

"You know shit, Jacob! You don't know what I've been through!"

"And what about him? Did you ever stop to think of what your leaving did to him?"

My father's words from dinner came to my mind then.

_I watched the Mansini boy waste away for months because of what you did to him..._

"You didn't stop to think, did you? You just panicked and to hell with everyone else. You are right. I don't know anything. I don't even know who you are anymore."

Jake turned around and left my room, slamming the door closed on his way out and leaving me alone to think things through.

He was right. I had been cruelly selfish and I had hurt one of the people who mattered the most to me and all because I never bothered to explain what I wanted.

I stood up from the bed and walked across the room. When I reached my dresser, I opened the top drawer. I reached in blindly, looking for the velvet box I had left here all those years ago. I wrapped my fingers around it as I found it and pulled it to my line of sight. Inside was the silver charm bracelet Edward had given me for my graduation five years ago, two days before I left Tuscany and him behind.

I opened the case and sat on my bed while I gazed into the delicate strands of silver and the five charms that adorned the black casing. They were all beautiful and I felt the pain in my chest open a little wider as I stroked the small charms with my fingertips.

I remembered clearly when he explained each one to me. The stack of books for my love of literature, the white rose represented my favorite flower, the delicate silver swan with a sapphire represented me, the bottle of wine represented my family's heritage, and finally, the diamond heart, his heart, which he had given me to keep safe.

Shame filled me just thinking of the way I had left him behind, running away from something I hadn't even known I wanted back then. For months I had struggled with what was expected of me, I tried to fight what I thought I didn't want, only to realize that I could not fight fate. And now, just this thoughtful gift was all I had left of the man I had loved and then cruelly left behind.

I took the bracelet out of the box and fastened around my left wrist, wishing for luck and for the courage to face him tomorrow.

God knew I needed all the luck I could get.

I had a lot to make up for and a lot of explanations to give. I had to apologize to my family first and then face my biggest fear. After all these years, I had never stopped loving Edward. I was too ashamed of what I did to contact him, but he hadn't given up. He called me, emailed me, and even sent me letters —hand-written old-fashioned letters— asking for an explanation and begging me to talk to him. I never answered him back, too much of a coward to face him, but now it was a different story.

I realized that what I had done was wrong, keeping all these feelings inside. Never opening up to my family was the biggest mistake I had ever made, but I was willing to fight now.

For me, for us, and for our families.

It was time to put irrational fears aside and just take the plunge.

He was worth it.

It had taken me a long time to see it, but I was here, finally, and I wasn't going to leave without putting up a fight. I didn't care what the townsfolk thought about me, the only way I would ever leave him alone is if he had found someone else and was happy with her. I had already hurt him enough; I wasn't going to cause him more heartbreak.

I was going to put him first for once, even if my heart was the one breaking this time.

* * *

_**One more chapter to go. See ya next Tuesday. ~Mina**_


	3. L'unico Che Io Amavo

******Disclaimer: **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**~ CAPITOLO TRE ~**

**L'unico Che Io Amavo**

I loved the mornings of the festival. You could feel the anticipation and excitement in the air, and it fed off the workers and tourists alike.

I had woken up quite early today, and after making myself a small breakfast, I went out to the fields to check on the work.

As I came back after making sure everything was fine with this year's harvest, a loud booming laugh caught my attention, and I curiously made my way to the kitchen where I could hear several people conversing.

"Edward!" was all I heard before I was falling on my ass with a very excited pixie in my arms.

I laughed when I say my sister's bright blue eyes staring back at me.

_"Sorella caprettina!" _

Alice gasped and slapped my chest. "Don't call me that! I hate that nickname!"

I just laughed again and stood up.

Jasper came out of the kitchen and gave me a hug.

"Good to have you back, Jazz," I greeted him, returning the hug.

"Nice to be back. Besides, your sister would kill me if she ever missed the festival."

Alice, being the mature woman she was, simply stuck out her tongue and went back inside.

We followed her, laughing at her expense.

During brunch, Alice regaled us with tales of her honeymoon and all the amazing food they had in Thailand. Jasper listened indulgently and added a few words here and there, but let her do most of the talking.

They were a great couple, definitely compatible in spite of their different personalities. Jasper was the silent calm for Alice's vibrant energy.

Who knew that a chance meeting in the tube in London would become what I had in front of me now?

Only Alice would leave Tuscany for the first time in her life and return proclaiming she had met the man she was gonna spend the rest of her life with. After three years of a long-distance relationship, here they were, happy as clams and completely in love.

"I can't wait to see what types of new wines are out there, and let's not forget all the fantastic food! I swear I'm gonna leave this place twice my size!" exclaimed Alice.

"I doubt it, darlin'. You have lived here all your life and look at you!" Jasper waved a hand over Alice's thin form. "Not that you wouldn't look beautiful either way."

"Good save," I muttered under my breath, elbowing him on his ribs.

An hour later, Emmett came to pick me up and I said goodbye to my family until later. I would probably see them again late afternoon.

I let my thoughts drift off during the ride back into town, and I wondered if Isabella was already here.

Was she helping her mother with the Cignolina stand?

Or was she still in America, living her life away from this?

All I knew at the moment was that if she was indeed here, I would not seek her out. Her message had been loud and clear five years ago. She didn't want me, and I wasn't going to force my presence on her.

At the plaza we worked hard all day and even greeted a few old friends who had come from out of the country for a holiday and to indulge in the food and wine of the province. I never saw Isabella, but I was focused on the work instead of my surroundings. Emmett had done a great job at setting the long rectangular tables, and the display looked great thank to my mom's handiwork.

We had only one hour until the festival started, and I was drenched in sweat. I had called Alice and asked her to bring me a change of clothes. Zia Renata was going to let me borrow her apartment to shower and change. Alice and I agreed to meet at a favorite bar close to the town's plaza, and she was already sitting at an outside table sipping on a drink when I arrived. There was a glass of white wine on the table that she pushed over to me.

"I got you a nice Trebbiano, that okay?"

"Perfect. Thanks."

I sat down and drank the wine slowly, enjoying the refreshing taste.

"I saw her."

I coughed up a bit of the wine and then tried to get my lungs to work again.

"_Madonna mia,_ Alice. You should have known better."

She simply shrugged and smiled.

"Where?"

"Right behind you."

I froze and slowly turned around on my seat until I had a clear view of the plaza.

There she was, lovely as ever. Her hair was up in a bun, a few tendrils framing her lovely face. She was carrying a bouquet of blush roses toward the display of the Cignolina winery.

I drank her in, noting the slight changes. Her hair was slight lighter color, and she looked more like a woman now. She carried herself with a confidence she didn't have before, and her big brown doe eyes were bright and happy as she smiled at something her mother was telling her.

I indulged myself with one last look before I turned around again to face Alice.

"She looks good," I muttered, drinking the last of my wine in one gulp.

"I wish she was fat and unhappy."

I choked on the wine again and shook my head, "Alice!"

"What? Don't tell me you wouldn't wish for that as well? After what she did to you?"

I pursed my lips and sighed. "No, Alice. I could never wish Isabella unhappiness. She deserves to be happy, even if it's not with me."

Alice stared at me and then smiled sadly. "You still love her."

I rubbed my forehead and nodded. "I wish I didn't, but I just can't stop, Alice. I have loved her ever since I was thirteen years old! Those types of feelings don't go away as easily as changing your shirt."

"I know how you feel."

I closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands, recognizing her soft voice behind me.

Madonna, _please help me._

**~* T *~**

I had watched him all day, but I was too chickenshit to approach him. He looked good, older, more like a man. His white shirt was soaked in his sweat and stuck to his body like a second skin. He was also different, a bit closed-off and distant. I watched him greet and welcome several old friends, but he only gave them no more than a couple of minutes and then he was back to work.

"Isabella," called my mother. "Help me finish the display."

"Okay."

From the corner of my eye, I watched as Edward hugged a girl close and kissed her cheek.

"That's Katalina, you remember her?"

I gasped. "I used to babysit her."

"The same one. She has grown into quite the lovely young lady."

I looked back and watched Emmett pick up Katalina in a massive hug.

"She wanted to be a ballerina."

"And she is, but she comes every summer for the festival."

I turned back to look at my mom, her sad eyes locked on what she was doing.

"Mom..."

"She has danced in Paris, London, Moscow, New York and so many more cities, but she always comes back to see her family." She smirked and raised an eyebrow at me.

I smiled and hugged my mom tightly.

"I learned my lesson, Mom. You know I did."

She hugged me back and patted me on the back.

Last night, after my talk with Jake, I went back downstairs to talk to my parents. I couldn't find my dad, but I found my mom elbow-deep in flower, making cannolis for today's festival.

_I bit my lip and sat down on one of the island stools, watching my mom cook._

_After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, she suddenly stopped and looked up at me. _

_"Did you know that I went to France to become a chef when I was eighteen years old?"_

_I shook my head; I didn't know that._

_"I did. Your grandmother was ecstatic, but my dad was apprehensive, not because he didn't want me to go, but because he was afraid of something happening to me in a city where I didn't know anyone."_

_I nodded, not saying a word, and letting her tell me her story._

_"But he let me go. Of course, my dad didn't send me alone at first, your uncle Marcus came with me to help me settle, but after a week I was alone. I was scared but excited to be there, and I must say those were the most amazing years of my single life." She pulled out a pan from the lower cabinet and started to shape the cannolis; I instinctively went to help her. "I made lots of friends and learned so much about food, but every summer I came home for the festival."_

_I bowed my head in shame, not able to take my mother's sad eyes anymore._

_"Because that is what you do, you come back to see your family and then go back to your life. No one begrudged me when I told my father I wanted to study in Paris. On the contrary, he was very proud of me and helped me reach my dreams. That's what family is for, to support and love you no matter what."_

_Mom cleaned up her hands on a rag and sighed._

_"I thought I had taught you that, Isabella." She tipped my head up with her hand on my chin, her hazel eyes connecting with my brown ones, brimming with tears. "All your father and I have ever wanted to do was to support you and love you. Why did you have to push us away?"_

_I couldn't stand her sad eyes anymore, and I threw myself at her, hugging her tightly to me._

_"I'm so sorry, Mom." I cried on her shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry for what I have done. I was so wrong and scared. I should have told you and Papa what I wanted instead of keeping quiet, that was my mistake. But you must know that I never stopped loving either of you."_

_"_Mia piccolo bambina_, I know you never did. You were just lost and scared, but please, Isabella," she cupped my face and brought it up to her level, "don't push us away anymore. I know your father is a bit on the stubborn side, but he only wants what is best for you."_

_"I felt like he was trying to replace Alec with me, but I can't be him, Mom. I can't be Alec."_

_"Oh _mia figlia_, he never wanted that. He might have approached things wrongly, but all he ever wanted was for you to feel proud of our work and traditions."_

_"But he hates me now."_

_"No, he doesn't. He just missed you a lot. You have to remember that we lost a child, and then six months later we lost another, for your leaving like you did left us feeling an emptiness we could never fill."_

_I sobbed in her arms after that, murmuring words of apology, and that was how my father found us minutes later. He didn't say anything, just pulled us into his broad arms and we just let it all go._

I pulled back from my mother's arms and kissed her cheek.

"Let's finish up here so we can have some lunch."

"That's a good idea, _mia figlia._"

I went back to the truck and picked up the bouquet of blush-colored roses we bought this morning and brought them to my mother.

"You know what, Isabella? Why don't you go ahead and get us a table over at _Piccolo Mondo_?"

I raised an eyebrow, wondering why my mother wanted to eat there.

"I thought we could go to _Signora's._"

"_Piccolo_ is not as full, now go. Get us a table outside." She winked and then turned around to clean her hands in a bucket of water.

I shrugged and made my way to the bar, stopping short just when I heard someone mention my name.

My breath hitched when I recognized who it was.

"No, Alice. I could never wish Isabella unhappiness. She deserves to be happy, even if it's not with me."

He was talking about me! Why? What was going on?

Alice noticed me standing behind him but didn't say anything. She stared at Edward and then smiled sadly. "You still love her."

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, waiting for his answer.

Edward rubbed my forehead and nodded. "I wish I didn't, but I just can't stop, Alice. I have loved her ever since I was thirteen years old! Those types of feelings don't go away as easily as changing your shirt."

I could feel my heart shattering and mending all at the same time, and I couldn't hold back anymore.

"I know how you feel."

His shoulders tensed, he covered his face with his hands, and then slowly turned around, dropping his hands to his lap.

"Isabella..."

"I'll leave the two of you to talk," said Alice, picking up her purse. She walked toward me, and so low only I could hear, she whispered in my ear. "Hurt him again, and I'll cut off your hair from your scalp. _Capisce?_"

I gulped and nodded. "_Grazie,_ Alice."

"_Prego_. See you two later."

Edward stood up and motioned for me to take a seat.

I sat down across from him and then... nothing.

Silence.

Very awkward and tension-filled silence.

That was until I raised my left hand to tuck my hair behind my ear.

His gasp was loud, and I watched him as he slowly reached for my hand and stroked my wrist gently, sending shivers through my arm.

"You still have it."

"Of course."

He looked into my eyes, searching for something. I didn't know what, but suddenly he pulled back and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Why, Bella?" was the only thing he asked.

My tongue felt heavy inside my mouth, and I tried to come up with something to say to him, but then he started talking.

"I waited, you know? I thought that maybe if I let you go and do your thing, whatever it was, you would eventually come back to me. I even spoke to Carlo and he cleared up my misconception that you had run off with some guy, which I never really believed in the first place. And here you are now, wearing _that,_ and you haven't even asked me how I've been."

He leaned in and cupped my face, wiping the tears that were streaming down my cheeks with his thumbs.

"God, how I loved you... I wanted to give you the world, but you left before you ever gave me the chance."

"I was scared," I whimpered, grabbing his wrists to keep him from pulling back. "I was confused and scared, Edward. It was never about you or my family. It was all me."

"I don't understand."

"Jake thinks I suffer from PTSD, from watching Alec fall." He winced at the mention of my brother, but let me continue. "I talked to my parents last night, told them how I was feeling back then."

"How did you feel, Bella?" he asked, pleading me with his eyes to please explain, to answer his questions and let him in.

I took a deep breath and looked him straight into his eyes. "I felt like everything was out of my control, from my dad's constant talk of the traditions and family obligations, to you talking about when we got married and all. I felt like the walls were closing in on me, and my first instinct was to flee. So, I did. I fled. It was cowardly and cruel, and I never meant to hurt you or make you think I didn't love you, but I wasn't thinking of others. I was selfish, and everyone paid the prize for my reckless actions. I'm sorry for what I did, but most of all, I am so sorry for ever hurting you. You deserved better, Edward. You still do."

I was full-out sobbing by the time I finished my speech.

Edward stood up and came to my side of the table, hushing my cries as he kneeled next to my chair.

"Bella, I only need you to answer me one question, only one, and I need you to be completely honest with me."

I nodded, wiping my tears with the back of my hands.

"Do you still love me?"

I gasped. "I never stopped, Edward. I never stopped!"

He smiled at me then. It was _my smile_, the one that made his eyes crinkle in the corners and lit up his face, making his eyes look like sparkling emeralds.

"Good, because I never stopped either."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. I cried in the crook of his neck. His hands rubbed my back soothingly, his lips kissing the top of my head.

"I don't deserve you."

"_Oh mia bella_, I'll be the judge of that."

"How can you be so kind, after what I did to you?"

He grabbed my chin between his index finger and thumb.

"Because you came back to me, Isabella. You came back to me."

He then leaned in and kissed me. His lips molded against mine perfectly. It was a chaste kiss but filled with all the feelings we carried for one another. Neither of us felt the need to deepen it, happy to just reconnect and feel.

He was the first to pull back, only to kiss my cheeks, my nose, and my forehead.

"_Ti amo tanto, mia bella_. Don't ever leave me again."

"Never, you are stuck with me now. I am your prisoner."

"No prisons or cages, Isabella. Not when we can fly together."

This time it was I who kissed him with everything I had.

There, in the middle of a crowded street, I let all my fears and troubles melt away.

There, in the arms of the only man I have ever loved, I found my second chance.

**_~* T *~_**

"That was a long time coming," I said to my friend, watching our children reconnect, oblivious to the world, just like they used to lose themselves all those years ago,

"Indeed!" She laughed and passed me a glass of wine. "You were right, Renee. They were meant to be; they just needed a little push."

"And men think they are heads of the families."

Esme laughed and shook her head.

"Now this stupid feud will be over, and Carlo will have someone he respects and admires to run the winery."

"Not to mention we will be able to stop pretending we don't speak to each other."

We both laughed at that, if everyone only knew the truth.

"You have to thank Alice for me, Esme. She did well in letting me know where she was meeting Edward."  
She waved me off and served us more wine. "She did it because she knew it had to be done; otherwise those two would have tiptoed around each other for days!"

I nodded, knowing my daughter could be quite stubborn.

"So, we finally can be family again."

"Our plan worked, Esme. I must say I'm very proud of us."

Esme smirked. "We really did well."

I giggled and raised my glass. "To new beginnings."

Esme raised her glass too. "And second chances."

"_Salute!_" we cheered and clinked our glasses, laughing loudly.

It had all started with a stolen kiss almost ten years ago, and now we were finally here.

I knew my Isabella and young Edward still had a lot of work cut out for them, but as long as there was love… there was nothing that they couldn't do.

I had all my faith in them.

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**~* The End *~**

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**Thank you so much for reading. Thanks to Sue and Lisa for their beta skills.**

**Small Epilogue to follow next week.**

**Till next time,**

_**~Mina**_


	4. Un Lieto Fine

**************Disclaimer: **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

******Big thanks to HollettLA for betaing this quickly during her flight. I really appreciate everything that you have done for me. xo**

* * *

**~ EPILOGO ~**

**Un Lieto Fine**

The sun woke me up this morning, a rare occurrence since _that_ summer, but I welcomed the change, knowing what was waiting for me somewhere in the house.

I slowly sat up on the edge of the bed and made my way down the stairs, listening closely to the voices coming from the kitchen.

"No, you are supposed to melt the butter a bit, and _then_ add it to the mix."

"But that's not how Mom does it; the butter isn't melted when she adds it!"

"That's because your mom probably took it out of the fridge in advance, this butter is a block of ice. Just put it in the microwave…"

A resigned sigh reached my ears just as I turned the corner and walked into the room.

"Good morning," I greeted everyone.

"Hey! You were supposed to still be in bed." Edward pouted.

"Yeah, Mommy, you were supposed to be in bed!" repeated my six-year-old son Tony.

I just shook my head and let the giggles that had been building inside me since I noticed the state of my boys pour out uncontrollably.

They were both covered in flour from head to toe. My little Tony even had an egg shell in his hair, and Edward's shirt had splatters of something that looked like chocolate cake mix.

"_Madonna_, look at you two…" I said between my giggles. "I'm gonna need to hose you both down!"

Identical crooked smirks appeared on their faces, making me sigh.

_How I love my boys…_

It had been a long road for me and Edward to get to this point, but it was worth it.

After Edward gave me a second chance almost ten years ago, it had been one constant battle after the other.

I wouldn't change a single minute.

I was devastated when I had to leave after that summer. I had signed a contract with the people at Ubisoft, and I couldn't stay. It was another consequence to my reckless actions that I had to take the responsibility for.

The distance was a blessing and a curse for us. I missed Edward so much, but this time it was different. I always made a point to travel every other weekend to see him and he would often come to London whenever he could.

Our relationship was different, yet similar in some way. Edward was a different man, and I had learned from my mistakes. We talked more openly, neither of us afraid to say the wrong thing for we were both willing to hear each other without judgment. He calmed me down when I had my moments of panic, and I made a point to take him out to see new things.

It was a hard year for us both, but it was with a smile on my face that I declined a very considerable pay raise when my contract ended. I just packed my bags, sold my apartment, and flew back home.

For that was what Edward had become to me.

My home.

It was hard work, and some days it seemed like all we did was fight, but I kept my promise to him. I opened up, let go of my fears, and let him in. He was always there when I needed him, and he knew when to give me space.

In one year, we broke up and got back together almost every month.

Edward never gave up though.

He said that had been his mistake.

He should've gone after me.

He should've fought for me.

I just told him that battle wasn't meant to be fought back then. I needed to grow, to catch up to him, so when the time came, I could see that I was worth fighting for.

But in the end, he didn't just became my champion, he became something so much more.

"What are you thinking about so hard over here?" Edward whispered in my ear.

I turned around and ran my hand over his wet hair. I took a cursory glance through the kitchen window and saw everything was in place.

I sighed and looked back into his shining green eyes.

"Bella?"

"I was just thinking how lucky I am to call you my husband,"

He grinned, his hands rubbing the small pouch that was my belly.

"I think I'm the lucky one."

I chuckled and shook my head.

"No, I am. For not only did I get you as my wife, but you also gave me two precious gifts."

I could feel my eyes filling with tears.

Damn pregnancy hormones.

Edward kneeled and kissed my belly. "I can't wait to meet you, little Lisa."

Yes, this is how it was always meant to be.

We fought, we made up, we laughed, we cried, we won, we failed… but at the end of the day we did it all together.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you too, Bella. Forever—"

"—and a day."

* * *

_**~* The End *~**_

* * *

**_"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." ~_****_Gilda Radner._**

**_Thank you for reading. Till next time. xoxo ~Mina_**


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